Violets
by Quig Alchemist
Summary: [VxMishness] It's Meryl's birthday, and she's just itching to go home. But before she leaves work, she recieves a bouquet of violets. But who are they from?


Author's Note: I DON'T own Trigun, so don't sue meh. Thanks. (wish I did.)

This is just a fun fluff story. Enjoy! By the way, I dedicate this short story to my girl Ashley who has a b'day on October 22nd! Happy Birthday!

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Violets

Meryl scurried busily around the local tavern, serving one drunk after another. There was still the typical manner of the customers staring where they shouldn't, and the cheesy pick-up lines expressed in drunken slurs, but there was still one redeemable factor of this otherwise, deplorable night shift: today was Meryl's birthday.

She couldn't wait another minute to get home. Every second seemed to drag by painfully slow. She glanced at the clock, seeing five minutes remaining. _Come on hurry up! _Meryl thought eagerly.

"Hey girlie!" Shouted a scruffy older man, holding an empty glass in the air. "Another round!" Meryl rolled her eyes, but nonetheless, retrieved the man more alcohol.

_Finally! _Meryl shouted, full of glee and celebrating on the inside. The clock was almost flashing a big 'Time to Go Home!' on its face. She rushed to the rack on the wall, untying the strings on her apron along the way, and practically threw her grease-stained uniform onto its designated hook. Meryl then snatched her own coat off another hook, quickly sliding into its comfortable sleeves. She spun around towards the door, and collided with a fragrance of sweet smelling flowers.

"So sorry!" Meryl squeaked in apology, brushing petals off her burgundy coat.

"No Miss Meryl," replied her manager, hidden behind the mass of purple flowers. "They're for you!" The bouquet was then thrust into her arms hastily, and a few more petals drifted to the floor.

"From you…?" Meryl said, trying not to sound _too_ disgusted, as she saw the overweight, balding man laugh heartily.

"No Miss Meryl!" He chuckled deeply. "But they sure are pretty!" he winked, and ushered towards the exit. "Oh and, happy birthday!"

"Yeah Meryl, happy birthday! What's that make you? 22?" Another cheery voice exclaimed from her opposite side. A blonde, rather ditzy waitress bopped up beside her, smiling as if it were her own birthday.

"Oh, hi there Irene!" Meryl replied, grinning. "And thanks to both of you as well!"

"Wow!" Marveled the other waitress. "Someone must _really _like you!" She giggled, and nodded towards the violets. Meryl blushed, and stuttered.

"W-what? N-no…I don't have the slightest clue who it could possibly be!"

"Come on." Irene prodded, nudging the short girl's arm. "There _must _be someone!" Meryl stood speechless, weighing the possibilities, but the outcome left her bewildered.

"Okay Irene." The manager said shortly, attempting to sound somewhat friendly. "Meryl can go home, you, on the other hand, still have a little thing called 'work' to do."

"Yes sir." Irene replied glumly, and shuffled off half-heartedly. Though, Irene did manage to shout out a quick, "Bye Meryl!" before she completely disappeared into the flow of the trafficked tavern.

Meryl smiled and buttoned up her coat, carrying her bouquet of freshly picked violets under one arm.

Meryl exited the tavern quietly, all the while drowning in the pleasant scent of violets and her own thoughts. _Who could have possibly given these to me? Vash? No, _she concluded, immediately dismissing the idea. _I couldn't be…_

It was a short, but dusty walk back to the low-profile home that she, Millie, and Vash, shared. The moonlight illuminated every rock and late-night creature that dared venture into her path. The little house glowed with a silver sheen, just as it always had, but tonight, something was different: the normally bright house's windows were completely black.

Meryl was only slightly alarmed when she didn't detect any motion inside. She stepped up to the porch, shuddering as her hand reached to the doorknob. Her breathing seemed restricted, as she grasped and jiggled it, expecting the door to swing open unobstructed. Instead, it stayed firmly shut, door locked tight.

"Oh no…" Meryl breathed, suddenly frightened. The front door was _never _locked when she came home after work. Something was definitely wrong here.

Meryl hastily searched for her key, buried deep in the confines of her purse. Her fingers clumsily brushed over her extra derringer, and she stopped briefly, deciding whether or not to withdraw the concealed weapon. Meryl closed her eyes, and pressed it aside.

She eventually discovered the elusive key, knowing the next challenge was to actually get it into the lock. The moonlight was her only source of light, making it more difficult to see much of anything.

After fumbling blindly in the dark, nearly dropping the object she worked so hard to obtain twice, and some avid cursing, the door unlocked with a satisfying click.

Meryl placed a small hand on the doorknob, but hesitated as she turned it. The mystery of why the house was strange tonight still loomed over her, leaving a knot of fear in the pit of her stomach. She clutched her bouquet of violets closer to her chest, securing them as she slowly creaked open the door…

"Surprise!" Shouted two voices in unison. Meryl stood blinded by the sudden flood of lights. Confetti and brightly colored balloons fell all around her, as her mouth hung open in shock.

"Happy birthday Meryl!" The two voices exclaimed happily. Meryl was greeted with hugs and laughter. Millie placed a loving arm around her shoulder, and placed a pink and green hat on her head. Everything around the room seemed to match the same color scheme: streamers, balloons, and just about anything else color could be draped over.

"A party…for me?" Meryl wondered aloud, still in a shocked state.

"Of course silly! Its your birthday!" Millie giggled, placing a toy horn to her lips. She then preceded in blowing it loudly, bringing Meryl out of her trance, and back to reality. Meryl shook her head, and smiled for the first time since she had returned home. Hugging Millie was the next thing on her agenda.

Vash had been standing a few steps in front of the insurance girls, holding two presents wrapped in neon orange paper. Millie walked up to him, and placed a hat atop his spikey crown as well.

The tall blonde man smiled at Meryl, causing her to melt into the depths of his aqua marine eyes. His grin was also wider and more expressive than Meryl had seen in a long time. Her heart seemed to flutter as his charm entranced her. She clutched her violets subconsciously, and stared at the man, lost in his gaze.

"You look pretty with those flowers, Meryl. They match your eyes perfectly." Vash expressed with such a smooth tongue, Meryl could have sworn they were the only two present in the room. She felt a warm blush spread over her cheeks as Vash handed her a neatly wrapped orange package.

"I'll just put these in some water." Millie said hurriedly, as she swept the violet bouquet from Meryl's arms, losing no time as she rushed through the kitchen doors.

Vash and Meryl were left standing alone in the center of the room, confetti sparkling in their hair.

Violets were the most rare, and sought after flower on Gunsmoke. Finding just one was an incredible feat, but putting together an actual bouquet, that was unheard of. And yet, the rare purple blossom was Meryl's favorite.

There was an odd moment of silence between Vash and Meryl, as they stood, staring into each other's faces, unsure of what to say next.

"Violets really are beautiful…" Meryl's voice trailed off. She then quickly began tearing off the paper surrounding her present, desperately searching for an exit from his deep and luscious eyes. The paper crinkled loudly under her fingertips, revealing a rather unimpressive, plain brown box.

"This one's from me!" Vash exclaimed proudly, awaiting a positive response. He wore his goofy trademark smile that always seemed to dictate Meryl's mood. Although, this could either be bad or good. Most of the time it ended in a smoking gun pointed in Vash's direction, but in some exceptions, like on her birthday, Meryl would be all smiles.

Meryl hesitated as she opened the top, but quickly continued when she saw Vash's eager eyes accompanied with that wide smile. She giggled to herself and lifted off the lid. Inside lay…another plain brown box. _Yippee. _Thought Meryl sarcastically. She carefully opened the next box, and the next one, and another after that. The box's size had now been reduced to an object that fit in the palm of her hand.

"You idiot!" She said playfully, but a slight irritation crept into her voice. "If this is some sort of joke…" She was cut off when Vash grabbed her free, box less hand. Their eyes connected again, and Meryl was speechless.

"Of course it's a joke Meryl!" He said calmly, smiling relentlessly. "Birthdays are supposed to be fun and full of laughs!" Vash grinned from ear to ear, but Meryl only smirked, and pulled her hand away, rapping her knuckles across his head, laughing.

"Ouch…" the blonde whimpered, rubbing his head. "Not so hard…" Meryl had only tapped her knuckles softly; Vash was just playing along, enjoying himself thoroughly. Meryl laughed again, not even caring that she was giggling like a schoolgirl.

"I promise, this is the _last _one!" Vash said it so sincerely; Meryl was caught completely off guard. There was an unmentionable feeling in the air; neither could explain it. Though, this moment was ruined a second later by Vash's fit of giggles as he remembered his 'extremely funny' box joke. Meryl rolled her eyes, still smiling, and focused her attention back on her present.

She lifted the tiny lid off, but, once again, another box was inside. This time, Meryl glared at Vash, dropping another empty box to the floor. It joined shells of at least five others.

Feeling the heat of Meryl's glare, Vash patched up the situation as quickly as he could.

"Just look Meryl…this one's different than the other ones!" And so it was.

This tiny box was covered in black felt, and looked very much like something that would hold jewelry. Meryl couldn't wait to open this one. She flung open the lid, sending hundreds of purple petals swirling through the air.

"Oh…" Meryl gasped, as the petals gave off an aroma that filled her with pure joy. They danced in front of the two faces, decorating Meryl's hair.

"Violets are your favorite, right?" Vash asked winking. Meryl stood awestruck. _How did he know…? _Thought Meryl, reeling mentally for an answer. _I haven't told _anyone She then came to a conclusion more startling than before._ Vash must have sent me the flowers earlier as well…He's the one that…_She couldn't finish her thought, as Vash lightly touched the side of her face. Meryl blushed again, as the tiny box trembled in her hands.

Vash smiled, and bent down towards Meryl. She could scarcely believe how wonderful her birthday was turning out. He lightly placed a kiss on left cheek, lingering only for a few seconds. Meryl then heard a soft whisper in her ear.

"There's still more in the box."

"Huh? Oh, right." Meryl said sheepishly, and dug gingerly through the violet petals, until a cold metal object grazed her quivering fingers. She shakily removed a small silver ring, perfect size for her finger. A tiny amethyst stone was mounted in the center, bordered with white gold.

"Do you like it?" Vash asked, praying he had done well. "Now you have a little violet where ever you go." His charm surrounded Meryl once again; it was getting harder and harder to believe that this man was the most wanted on the planet. At that moment _she _would have paid sixty billion double dollars just to be with him.

Meryl slid the circlet on her finger beaming with pleasure. It shimmered in the light, sending false stars into her eyes.

"I…love it!" She exclaimed unexpectedly, and leaped at Vash, hugging him tightly. Vash was choking, but still more than happy. "It's beautiful…thank you so much!" Vash smiled slyly, and wrapped his arms around Meryl. "This is the best birthday ever." A tear winked slowly down Meryl's cheek, as she smiled.

The End

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Author's Note: W00Ts! Love the fluff! Just a random little thought I felt like making into a story…Anywayz, thanks, and tell me what you thought of it!

Quig


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